Happy Valentine's Day
by technophilic
Summary: [cedric.harry] A request for a Valentine's Day challenge over at LiveJournal in February, with prompts like, Awkwardness, a secret place, and nice!Cho.


This was a request by lulu-kitty at LiveJournal for a Valentine's Day Challenge over there that was writtenin February.

Prompts given were "awkwardness/fumbling, nice Cho, and the prefect's bathroom or any secret place for them."

* * *

Cedric was wandering through the corridors, making sure that there wasn't anyone wandering through the halls that shouldn't have been. He had sent a couple of first and second years back to their rooms, smiling as they went on their merry way. He knew what would go on when they got back to their dorms; they would giggle and brag about how they talked to one of the Hogwarts champions personally. 

One of the Hogwarts champions.

He sighed, stopping in his tracks to massage the bridge of his nose. He realized that he still hadn't thanked Harry for warning him about the dragons. Because of Harry, he was able to know how to prepare for the first task, how to survive the first task.

He thought about going to thank Harry in the morning, during breakfast—but Harry had been skipping the first course of the day, probably fretting over what the hell he was to do with that egg.

Professor Moody had called Cedric into his office about a week ago and had told him about putting the egg into the water, so it was only sensible that the curious Hufflepuff would go take a bath in the prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor, and experiment with the golden egg.

So, as Cedric was finishing up his late-night duties, he turned around to head back to his own dormitory, when he collided with another, slightly smaller body.

He stumbled backward a bit, glaring into the dark, trying to make out the other figure.

He heard a faint clattering as an object seemed to hit the floor, followed by a slightly agitated, "Merlin's beard!" Considering that the other person's voice wasn't exactly high-pitched, he found it safe to assume that this other person was, in fact, a boy.

He saw the silhouette bend down and reach out for the object: a pair of glasses, Cedric noted, as he could see flames from a nearby torch reflecting off of the lenses.

"Cedric?"

"Yeah… Harry?"

"Yeah…"

Cedric felt slightly relieved, glad that he didn't have to face anymore 'fans' for the rest of the night, at least, he liked to hope. He straightened his robes, remembering that he was doing a job right now.

"What are you doing out of bed?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest, "You should be in your dorm."

"Oh, I… I was just on my way…" Harry stammered, shifting from one foot to the other.

Cedric smiled to himself; seeing Harry shuffling around uneasily amused him.

"How about I walk you back to your room, just to make sure that you don't go around wandering the halls anymore?" he asked, smiling. Besides, this would be a good time to say thank you and tell Harry about the egg.

Harry nodded, "Alright."

So Cedric and Harry made their way to the Gryffindor commons, talking about everything. Everything except what Cedric had been planning on telling Harry.

They reached the door with the fat lady, who happened to be sleeping at the moment.

Both boys stood there awkwardly, neither sure what to say or do.

"Okay, well, thanks for walking with me," Harry said, then added quickly, "Even though I think that it was entirely unnecessary."

"Oh? Well, then how would I know that you didn't just get out of eyesight and return to frolicking through the corridors?" Cedric laughed quietly.

"Harry Potter does not frolic… He prances," the green-eyed boy said proudly.

"Oh, okay, Prancing Potter," Cedric said, "Well, you'd better be getting to bed."

"Fine, fine. Well, I guess I'll see you at breakfast or something," Harry said.

"Yeah," Cedric turned to go back to his own room, but stopped, remembering to thank Harry. He turned around to see that the other boy had been watching him.

"Um, I just realized that I never got to thank you for warning me about the dragons," he said, stepping back over too Harry, "So, thank you."

"Oh, yeah. It was no problem. I thought you should have known, since I figured that Madame Maxime and Karkaroff must have let Viktor and Fleur in on the secret about the dragons. I didn't want you to be the only one in the dark…"

"…Why?" Cedric asked curiously.

"Well, I didn't want you to die, if that's what you mean," Harry said defensively.

"…Why?" Cedric asked again, stepping closer to the younger boy.

Harry looked up at Cedric, blushing, but he didn't let that stop the words from slipping out: "Maybe I like you."

Then he pushed himself up on the balls of his feet, just enough to place a gentle kiss on Cedric's cheek. It was an unconscious thing that didn't take much thought, and he certainly didn't think about it beforehand. He jerked away quickly and turned away, an ashamed look on his face.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm just gonna go to bed. I'm tired," he said quickly, wanting nothing more than to get away.

"Hey, wait, I—" Cedric was cut off when he heard the door shut, and he was left alone, standing in front of the Gryffindor commons. He sighed, turned on his heel and fled. He would just have to find Harry in the morning, after Herbology.

xxx

The first time Cedric sees Harry is two days later in the mess hall during breakfast. Everyone is getting ready to go on to their next classes and gathering their books into their messenger bags.

The Hufflepuff rose from his seat, taking a few steps toward the Gryffindor table, only to see another figure from the Ravenclaw table stand up as well, rushing over to Harry before he could.

However, instead of leaving, Cedric stayed within earshot, so he could hear their conversation.

"Hello, Harry," said the Ravenclaw.

"Oh, hello, Cho," he said, smiling. He tipped slightly as he slung the messenger bag's strap over his shoulder, and he played with one of the claps.

"Listen, I never got to congratulate you after the first event," she said, thumbing her own strap. "I thought you did an excellent job out there, conjuring up your Firebolt like that. We didn't learn that in our forth year, so you must have learned it quickly," she added, smiling at him.

"Oh, heh, thank you," he replied sheepishly.

"Um, well, I have to get to class, or I'll be late. I think you did really well. I'll see you later, Harry," she said, waving as she turned on her heel and left.

"Bye… Cho," he said, waving as she walked away. He turned to glance at the Hufflepuff table; he swore he saw a pair of probing gray eyes watching him.

He couldn't really dwell on this thought, however, because at that moment, Hermione and Ron were tugging on his robes, telling him that they needed to hurry before they were late to Potions.

xxx

The second time Cedric sees Harry, he is talking to Hermione. Since Hermione was Harry's friend, and not his questionable love interest, he decided that now would be the best time to tell him, before he lost sight of him once more.

"Harry!" he called out, and smiled when he turned. But his smile instantly vanished when he started walking in the opposite direction.

"Harry!" he called once more, breaking into a run—or a jog, rather—until he reached the fourth year, "Harry…"

"Yes, Cedric?" he turns and asks, as though he didn't just snub the other boy.

"Hey, listen. Have you had any luck with that egg yet?" he asked.

"Erm, no, not really…" Harry mumbled.

"You know the prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor?" Cedric asked, leaning in as though he was telling some important secret (despite the fact that it was).

"Yes, but what does—"

"It's not a very bad place for a bath; mull things over," the Hufflepuff said with a wink. He stayed long enough to see Harry turn about five different shades of red, before turning to leave.

Harry was still standing there blushing, and didn't notice Hermione walk up to him until her voice broke the silence, "Harry, what did he want?"

"What? Oh—n-nothing," he stuttered, but she knew better, and he knew she knew better. He was just glad that she didn't say anything else about that, just, "Harry, let's go get something to eat."

xxx

The third time Cedric sees Harry is in the prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor.

Of course, Cedric wasn't trying to follow Harry around; in fact, he was the first one there. He didn't even think Harry would follow his advice, much less right after dinner.

Cedric was relaxing in the bath when he heard the door open, and turned his head to see the intruder.

Harry froze when he saw the other boy in the bath, looking him squarely in the eye. The egg slipped from his grasp, making a clanging sound as it hit the floor. He scrambled down to pick it up, and cradled it like an infant in his arms as he shifted from one foot to the other.

"Erm, I-I'm sorry, Cedric, I didn't think you'd be in here. I'm just going to go—" he stuttered, cheeks turning a brilliant shade of red.

"No, Harry, stay," Cedric said turning around to face him directly. "I don't mind," he added, folding his arms across the edge of the bath, and resting his chin atop of them.

"Err… O-okay…" Harry replied, not sure how else to react. He didn't want things to become any more awkward between the two of them, so he wasn't sure why he had agreed to stay.

'Because you want to see him naked?' his subconscious offered, and he was surprised that he didn't argue with it.

So why did he feel so awkward undressing in front of Cedric? Maybe it was because the Hufflepuff was just sitting there. Staring.

"Do you mind?" Harry asked, slightly annoyed.

"Not at all," Cedric said, grinning. Seeing the glare that the green-eyed boy shot him, however, he gave up, raising his arms defensively as he turned back around, waiting for Harry to finish undressing.

"Hey, I don't have cooties, you know," Cedric said as Harry hopped into the bath, keeping a three foot distance between them.

"I don't see why you're being so awkward about this," the Hufflepuff added, "Besides; you shower with your Quidditch team, don't you? After practice and after matches?"

"Well, yeah… But that's beside the point," Harry mumbled, his lithe form sinking deeper into the water.

"Well, what is the point?" Cedric asked, turning to face Harry. He cocked his head to the side, feigning innocence, for added dramatic effect.

Harry blushed. (By this point, Cedric was thinking about creating a game called Let's-See-How-Many-Times-We-Can-Get-Harry-Potter-To-Blush-In-One-Day, and decided to call it LSHMTWCGHPTBIOD, for short.)

"I guess I kind of like you," he said under his breath, and Cedric almost didn't hear it.

"Wha—Really?" Cedric asked, even though he remembered Harry saying it to him before, a few nights ago when he walked the Gryffindor back to his room.

"I… I guess I kind of like you too…" the Hufflepuff replied back.

"Well," said Harry, changing the subject, "why don't you show me what, exactly, I'm supposed to be doing with this egg…" He twisted his torso slightly so that he could grasp the large, golden egg that had been resting by the edge of the bath.

"Alright, well, first, put it in the water—"

xxx

Since the two boys had admitted their feelings about one another, they had made it a sort of ritual to meet in places where they wouldn't be caught. Their favorite place was in the prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor, mostly because it was where they had first laid out their confessions.

When it came time for the Yule Ball, the two boys where practically distraught knowing that they couldn't go together. It was difficult for them, but they agreed that they would go with other girls.

Harry had intended on asking Cho, but Cedric had asked her first, so he asked Parvati to go.

The only thing they were thinking was that after the ball was over, they could meet in the prefect's bathroom for a nice bath, a nice chat, and maybe a bit of snogging.

Every once in a while, they would glance over at one another, eyes clouded over with something that could only be labeled as jealousy, with a pinch of lust.

When they locked eyes, they shared a secretive, knowing smile, and both spent the rest of the evening watching the clock, waiting for the stroke of midnight.

xxx

When the two boys meet, Cedric arrives first. Usually, he wouldn't worry about Harry showing up or not, because he always did, but at the moment, he had been quite a wreck. He wanted nothing more than to have Harry in his arms. As much as he liked Ron and Hermione, sometimes he just wished they would give them more alone time—

Hearing the door creak open, and a quiet "Cedric?" he was up on his feet in no time, with Harry pinned against the nearest wall, tongue in the Gryffindor's mouth.

The younger boy moaned, gripping the Hufflepuff's dress robes tightly in his balled fists. He leaned into the kiss, rising to the balls of his feet for easier access.

When both boys were out of oxygen, they broke apart, both panting. Cedric was resting his forehead against Harry's as he caught his breath.

"You wanna… you want to take a bath?" he asked, smirking slightly.

Harry could only nod and let Cedric tug him away from the wall and pull him toward the bath. He had previously asked Moaning Myrtle to leave, and it took much persuasion on his part before the ghost reluctantly agreed, off to haunt the girls' bathroom.

Cedric stopped and undressed Harry and Harry did the same.

Clothes lying, forgotten, on the floor, they both slipped into the bath. Harry positioned himself on Cedric's lap, straddling him.

"I've missed you, Harry," Cedric murmured as he let his lips ghost over the younger boy's jaw line, earning a shudder.

"Mm, but you saw me earlier this evening," Harry said, head lolling to one side to give the older boy better access to the pale flesh of his neck.

"True, but I hate seeing you, and not being able to touch you," he sighed, allowing his right hand to trail down Harry's chest, pausing to play with one of the round nubs, earning a small gasp. He grinned and let his hand trail further south, slipping around his backside.

"Oh?" Harry asked, biting his lip as he felt Cedric's index finger slip inside of him. This wasn't the first time that they had had sex, and it wasn't even the first time in the prefect's bathroom.

"Mhm," Cedric nodded, sucking on Harry's clavicle as he inserted a second finger into the other boy. Soon enough, he was scissoring him to accommodate him to what would be coming. 'Quite literally,' Cedric mused to himself.

The Hufflepuff removed his fingers, earning a small noise of disappointment from the fourth year. He shifted his body weight slightly, so that Harry was sitting directly atop of his erection, so that this would be easier.

Harry groaned slightly at the odd sensation, and sat still for a minute, allowing himself to adjust to the intruder, before slowly rocking his hips, grinding into Cedric's pelvis.

Cedric moaned, arching his hips upward to meet Harry's, causing both boys to shudder at the contact.

Harry gripped Cedric's shoulders; nails dug into the Hufflepuff's broad shoulders, but neither cared at the moment.

The older boy's hand slipped between the two bodies and he gripped Harry's erection, and started jerking him off in time with his thrusts.

Both boys were moaning as they reached their peaks, Cedric coming first as he moaned Harry's name. Harry followed in suit, resting his head on his shoulders, spent and panting.

"Heh, I'd say that was really good," Cedric mused once he regained his composure. He slipped out of Harry, and wrapped his arms around the tired boy.

"I should probably be leaving now," Harry said sadly, "You know how Hermione is. She'll probably warrant a search party, or something."

"Well then, you should be leaving now, shouldn't you, jailbait?" Cedric teased as he looked at the other boy.

They both got out of the bath and dressed silently before they exited the bathroom, checking to make sure that no one was going to see them.

Harry was starting to leave when he felt a hand grasp onto his shoulder and spin him around quickly. He was pulled into a kiss, and felt something being shoved into his hands.

"I love you, Harry Potter," Cedric murmured against the other boy's lips before pulling away. He smiled and turned, going back to his own room.

Harry watched Cedric go before he looked down at his hand. It was a piece of parchment with a sort of love note inscribed.

The Gryffindor smiled to himself and pocketed it, turning on his heel and heading back to the commons.

Those same words kept repeating like a mantra in his head.

"I love you, Harry Potter."


End file.
